tonight, the u.s. declares the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency. cases spreading across the country. more than 7,100 americans infected in at least 48 states. the federal government freeing up funding to increase testing, treatment, and vaccines. the biden administration under growing pressure to make more vaccines available. new york and san francisco saying they don't have enough vaccine doses to meet demand. overseas tonight, wnba star brittney griner convicted on drug charges in russia, sentenced to nine years at a the judge finding she intentionally smuggled vape cartridges containing hashish oil found in her luggage at an airport near moscow. griner addressing the judge before the verdict. her message to family, friends, and teammates. pesident biden demanding russia release her immediately.

back here at home, four current and former police officers facing federal charges in connection with the shooting death of breonna taylor. attorney general merrick garland accusing the officers of lying to obtain the search warrant for her home and lying again to investigators after the shooting. breaking news in the alex jones trial. a jury in texas ordering the conspiracy theorist to pay more than $4 million to parents who lost their 6-year-old boy in newtown, for calling the sandy hook massacre a hoax. extreme heat from montana to texas to maine. 70 million under heat alerts as we come on the air. the texas power grid pushed to the brink. record-breaking temperatures nearing 100 degrees in the northeast. and now the threat of flooding rain. rob marciano timing it out. overseas tonight, china conducting intense military exercises all around taiwan, responding to house speaker nancy pelosi's recent visit. china test-firing 11 ballistic missiles in less than two hours. and why the u.s. is now

canceling a missile test of its own. and news coming in late today, four people found dead in two house fires just blocks apart in a small town in nebraska. police searching for a silver sedan leaving town, possibly after picking up a passenger. and the teenage lifeguard saving the day. and this was no ordinary rescue. good evening, it's great to have you with us on this thursday night. i'm whit johnson, in for david. we begin tonight with the u.s. declaring a public health emergency over the monkeypox outbreak across the country. the biden administration under growing pressure to stop infections from spreading. the numbers rising late today, more than 7,100 americans have now been infected in at least 48 states. montana and wyoming, the only states without reported cases. the federal government's declaration frees up money to increase testing, treatment, and

boost the nation's vaccine supply. new york city and san francisco, two of the hardest-hit cities in the country, saying they don't have enough vaccine to meet demand. the white house says there are more than 1.1 million doses available. health care workers are fielding up to 80,000 tests per week. some critics blaming the administration for not moving fast enough to contain the outbreak. abc's janai norman leads us off here in new york. >> reporter: after weeks of rising infections and growing calls to do more, tonight, federal health officials are declaring the monkeypox virus a public health emergency. >> we do expect the test cases will continue to rise as we've had more access to testing people, had more access to testing before they go down again. >> reporter: the cdc now reporting more than 7,100 cases across 48 states, up from just 200 a little over a month ago. and vaccines still in short supply, as some clinics can't keep up with demand. >> everyone's like, how do we get an appointment?

so, i was able to snag this like right when it came. >> reporter: new york city -- the epicenter of the virus -- tonight opening 23,000 vaccine appointments. but those are only for the first of two shots needed for full protection. senator kirsten gillibrand calling on the biden administration to invoke the defense production act. >> with cases doubling roughly every week, it's paramount that the government prepare a health care system to meet vaccine and testing demands so that americans can remain safe. >> reporter: nearly all the cases have been among men who have sex with men, but doctors stress anyone can get the virus. five children have already been infected. the virus is primarily spread through close skin-to-skin contact, but can also be transmitted through prolonged face-to-face contact through respiratory droplets, or touching clothing or bedding contaminated with the infected sore. monkeypox is rarely fatal and symptoms usually go away on their own. >> i've seen some patients recover from their illness within two weeks, but others, unfortunately, they don't

recover until maybe three, four, or even five weeks later. >> reporter: brian mckenna says his symptoms started with what looked like a pimple on his lip. >> i then had them on my face and all along my neck. >> reporter: mckenna says he had to fight for access to the anti-viral drug tpoxx by sending photos of his face to his doctors. >> the pictures told the story, and when they did get back to me, they said yes. >> reporter: tonight, experts say right now the risk of monkeypox for americans is low, but some worry that college campuses could be at risk. >> this is not, you know, a classic sexually transmitted infection, but it can be transmitted efficiently through sexual contact. so, what that means is, any dense sexual network, we could see transmission of this virus. >> janai norman joining us now and janai, health officials tell us there are more than a million vaccine doses going out to states, but right now, that's not enough to cover everyone who is eligible. and you're learning the fda is now looking into stretching out those doses? >> reporter: well, whit, the cdc estimates about 1.6 million

people are eligible to get the vaccine. each person needs two doses. so, those 1.1 million doses available right now just aren't enough. so, the fda says it's looking into whether it can stretch the vaccine supply by pulling five doses out of a single vaccine vial without sacrificing safety and efficacy. whit, that would make a big difference. >> trying to utilize every drop. okay, janai, thank you. and one more note on this. dr. ashish jha will be discussing the outbreak on "gma" first thing tomorrow morning. overseas now, and wnba star brittney griner convicted today on drug charges in russia. a judge sentencing her to nine years in a penal colony. griner detained in russia for more than five months, found guilty of intentionally smuggling vape cartridges of hashish oil into the country. she addressed the judge before the verdict was announced, holding a photo of her team in russia, telling the judge she, quote, made an honest mistake. president biden calling her sentence unacceptable. and the administration is again urging russia to accept its prisoner proposal.

here's abc's senior white house correspondent mary bruce. >> reporter: this is the moment brittney griner learned her fate. standing in a cage in a russian courtroom, hearing she's been sentenced to nine years in a russian prison camp. earlier, griner emotional, saying she takes responsibility for illegally bringing vape cartridges containing cannabis oil into the country back in february. but stressing it was an accident. >> i made an honest mistake and i hope that in your ruling that it doesn't end my life here. >> reporter: griner choking up as she then apologized to her family and teammates in russia and back in the u.s. >> i want to also apologize to my parents, my siblings, my phoenix mercury organization back at home, the amazing women of the wnba, and my amazing spouse. >> reporter: during the trial, her lawyers argued there was no criminal intent. but the judge rejected that,

finding griner guilty of drug smuggling. moments after her sentencing, back in washington, president biden called for the wnba star's release, saying in a statement that her sentence is "one more reminder of what the world already knew. russia is wrongfully detaining brittney." but the white house tonight won't say publicly if they think russia is trying to send a message by giving griner such a severe sentence. do you think she is being used as a political pawn here? >> i cannot ascribe russian motives or intent here. all i can do is tell you where president biden is, and the national security team. wrongfully detained, need to come home, there's a deal on the table. let's make the deal, let's get them home. >> reporter: the biden administration is urging russia to accept its proposal to bring griner and former marine paul whelan home. sources tell abc news the offer is to swap the two americans for notorious russian arms dealer viktor bout. meanwhile, griner remains in a pretrial detention center as her

lawyers try to appeal. >> she can hardly talk, honestly, so -- it's difficult time for her. >> mary bruce back with us now. so, mary, what more can you tell us about the status of those negotiations to bring brittney griner and paul whelan back home? >> reporter: well, tonight, i'm told these talks are ongoing, but when i pressed the white house on whether they're seeing any progress, they won't say, insisting they don't think it's helpful to try to negotiate all of this out in public. the big question tonight, though, is, now that griner has been convicted, will russia accept the proposal on the table, or, if not, how much more, if anything, is president biden willing to offer to bring these americans home? whit? >> those are the key questions. all right, mary, thank you. now to breaking news late today. a jury in texas ordering conspiracy theorist alex jones to pay more than $4 million to parents who lost their 6-year-old boy in newtown, for calling the sandy hook massacre a hoax. here's abc's erielle reshef. >> reporter: tonight, a texas

jury ordering conspiracy theorist alex jones to pay $4 million for peddling the lie that the 2012 massacre at sandy hook elementary school was an elaborate hoax. >> members of the jury, have you reached a verdict? >> reporter: the suit was brought by the parents of 6-year-old jesse lewis, one of the 20 children and six educators killed in the shooting. on his radio show, jones accused jesse's parents, neil heslin and scarlett lewis, of being so called "crisis actors." they were subjected to years of harassment, violence, and death threats. >> i can't even describe the last 9 1/2 years of the living hell that i and others have had to endure. >> reporter: jesse's mother confronting jones about his lies. baseless claims. >> you keep saying it. why? why? for money? >> reporter: finally, a decade after the tragedy, jones admitting that it actually happened. it was real. >> it was. especially since i've met the

parents, and -- it's 100% real. >> reporter: the parents were seeking at least $150 million in compensation for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. the jury's $4 million award falling short of that. and lawyers for the family say that jones will owe a lot more than that $4 million, and the jury isn't finished with him yt. they will now decide whether to award punitive damages. this is the first time he's been ordered to pay up for his lies. whit? >> erielle, thank you. we're following major new developments in the deadly police shooting of breonna taylor in louisville, kentucky. the justice department today leveling federal charges against four current and former officers connected with her death. among the charges, officers are accused of falsifying documents to obtain the search warrant of her home where she was shot and killed. then they're accused of covering lying to cover it up. abc's faith abubey tonight in louisville.

>> reporter: more than two years after breonna taylor was shot to death in a botched drug raid, u.s. attorney general merrick garland today announcing federal charges for four current and former louisville metro police officers. >> the federal charges announced today allege that members of the place-based investigations unit falsified the affidavit used to obtain the search warrant of ms. taylor's home. >> reporter: prosecutors say sergeant kyle meany, and detectives joshua jaynes and kelly goodlett knew the search warrant lacked probable cause. and they say those two detectives later conspired to cover up their lies, allegedly meeting in a garage to come up with a false story for investigators. >> we allege that the defendants knew their actions and falsifying the affidavit could create a dangerous situation. >> reporter: prosecutors say the officers who executed the warrant at taylor's home knew nothing about the false affidavit. and when taylor's boyfriend mistook police for an intruder -- firing a shot from his registered gun in self-defense -- officers opened fire, killing the 26-year-old emt.

former officer brett hankison -- who was acquitted on state charges for firing into a neighbor's apartment -- today, charged with excessive force for firing ten shots through a window and sliding glass door in taylor's home. >> breonna taylor should be alive today. >> say her name! >> breonna taylor! >> reporter: taylor's death and the murder of george floyd sparking protests across the country. >> say her name! >> breonna taylor! >> i've waited 874 days for today. >> reporter: breonna taylor's mother calling the charges overdue. >> what we've been saying on day one, y'all learning what we've been saying was the truth. that they shouldn't have been there and that breonna didn't deserve that. >> whit, three of the officers charged with civil rights volations could face a maximum of life in prison. a fourth officer could spend years behind bars if convicted. whit? >> faith, thank you.

we turn now to the extreme hat from montana to texas to maine. 70 million under heat alerts at thi hour. record-breaking temperatures nearing 100 degrees in the northeast. that dangerous heat also expected to trigger heavy rain and more flooding. let's get right to abc's senior meteorologist rob marciano. and rob, time this out for us. >> reporter: well, whit, on top of all that, we have a severe drought here in eastern new england. water bans in effect here in rhode island. just up the road, in boston, they set a new record high today of 98 degrees. records tied in albany and hartford. and tomorrow isn't going to be a whole lot cooler. take a look at the numbers. going to feel like 100 degrees in philadelphia and baltimore. that is dangerous heat. same story, muddle america, from south texas to north dakota. it's going to feel like it's up and over 100 degrees. now, there is a cool front that's pressing into this hot air and that's creating a flooding problem across the ohio river valley. flood watches are up there, they are also up for the southwest for the monsoon. and red flag warnings are posted for montana, as 30 large active fires are now burning in the west. whit? >> can't catch a break. all right, rob, thank you.

overseas tonight, china surrounding taiwan with a show of force following this week's visit from house speaker nancy pelosi. china conducting military exercises just offshore and testing ballistic missiles, sending a message to taiwan and the u.s. here's abc's foreign correspondent james longman. >> reporter: tonight, china threatens taiwan with its biggest ever show of military force in the region. beijing launching 11 ballistic missiles in less than two hours, striking targets all around the island. some landing just 12 miles from the coast -- the closest beijing has ever come to a direct hit. all in response to house speaker nancy pelosi's visit to taiwan, which china considers one of its own territories, though the island wants to preserve its own democratically-elected government. a chinese spokesperson declared the visit constituted "collusion" between taiwan and the u.s. >> i hope very much that beijing will not manufacture a crisis or

seek a pretext to increase its aggressive military activity. >> reporter: in an effort to defuse the situation, the white house announced today it is postponing missile tests of its own in the region, an effort to "reduce the risks of miscalculation and misperception." all this is concerning, because it shows just how quickly china can launch these sorts of exercises. and they're not done yet. there are two more days of drills planned. whit? >> james longman, our thanks to you tonight. next here, a u.s. airman is now charged in a recent insider attack on an american base in eastern syria. tech sergeant david dezwaan jr., seen here during explosives disposal training, accused of injuring four service members during an explosion in april. the pentagon believes explosive devices were placed on the base. he's being held in confinement. no word on a possible motive. to the emotional scene in parkland, florida. today, the jury in the death penalty phase in the nikolas cruz trial walking the hallways

of marjory stoneman douglas high school, retracing the steps cruz took when he killed 17 children and adults in 2018. the building remains a crime scene now. it's been closed since the shooting. it will be demolished at a later date. prosecutors are resting their case. when we come back here, details just coming in on a fiery crash outside l.a. at least five people dead, at least five people dead, several others hurt.otally you. i did with wayfair. sometimes i'm a homebody. can never have too many pillows. sometimes i'm all business. wooo! i'm a momma 24/7. seriously with the marker? i'm a bit of a foodie. perfect. but not much of a chef. yes! ♪ wayfair you've got just what i need. ♪ in a recent clinical study, patients using salonpas patch reported reductions in pain severity, using less or a lot less oral pain medicines.

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tonight, in longmont, colorado, 11-day-old baby tobin is safe at home with mom and dad, thanks to a lifeguard at the local ymca. 18-year-old natalie lucas was on duty when tobin's mom tessa suddenly went into labor. >> it dawned on me that we were not making it to the hospital and he was coming out right then and there. >> reporter: her husband matthew calling 911, then telling the lifeguard, the baby is coming. >> the husband tells me that they're having the baby right now. and i'm like, all right, sounds good, the adrenaline kind of kicks in right then and there. >> reporter: natalie springing into action, grabbing the first aid kit. >> she was there to do anything that we asked, and that was exactly what she did and it was perfect. >> reporter: it was a pretty quick thinking of, all right, i need to help them, i need to make sure they get the medical assistance they need, this is my job. >> reporter: moments later, baby tobin was born and he was okay.

mom and dad smiling. a thumb's up from their lifeguard. tonight, the grateful parents sending photos and a video. >> glad that the people that were there were there and i wouldn't trade it for the world. >> i would not trade natalie for anyone. >> reporter: natalie and baby tobin bonded forever. >> i do hope to send the little guy birthday cards here and there. it's definitely something that all of us will never forget. >> and we won't forget it, either. way to go, natalie. thanks so much for watching tonight. i'm whit johnson in new york. hope to see you back here tomorrow night. for david and all of us here, have a great night. >> billowing smoke, burning

flames this fire is not the only when a spark in the bay area today. >> every counseling center at school, we're talking about 200 kids is a counselors caseload. >> meeting needs, cialis is helping students basic newschool your. -- helping your students face a new school year. >> the white house declares monkeypox 80 emergency -- an emergency. >> building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions, this is abc 7 news. >> thank you for joining us, first san francisco then california now the country has cleared an emergency to deal with the rapidly growing threat of monkeypox. >> every bay area county has at least one case, today san francisco topped 400, alameda county is approaching triple digits, santa clara county is up to six at five. >> -- 65. >> we just got this video from

the santa clara county health, as how they handle the vaccine when shipments arrive. it is unpacked, put on ice, then refrigerated, the doses are quickly viable, demand far outpacing supply, today's acclamation of a national health emergency could help change that. >> we spoke with a white house resident. >> and a state senator about what we will expect moving forward. reporter: we need more vaccines and treatments, today's public health announcement will provide more resources. the white house has confirmed we have 1.5 million vaccines available. the next step is distribution as cases increase past. after more than 6600 cases of monkeypox detected in the united states, the white house is spending. >> i want to make an announcement today that will be clearing a public health emergency on monkeypox. we are prepared to go to the next level.